Breaking up is hard to do
by livingvicariously75
Summary: JJ is trying to break up with Will but he isn't making it easy for her. Eventually JJ/Hotch who will earn the rating. FB challenge response that to my surprise turned Will into a character to empathize with vs. a villain.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"JJ, I'm having a hard time understanding you," Will all but yelled across the table, trying to take in the words his wife was saying, the noise at the restaurant making the communication difficult after she had suggested they go out to eat and have a short talk before he went in for his shift at the police department.

"_I had to pick the night they decided to have a mariachi band here."_ JJ groaned to herself as she leaned in further, attempting to make her voice heard over the sound of the trumpet as the band seemed to enjoy lingering near their table. Giving up after Will's third "I can't understand you," she turned to glare at the cheerful group, seeing the musicians smiling broadly at the couple as they continued to strum their guitars, likely under the impression they were making the atmosphere more romantic, which to JJ was the last thing she needed. Even though the band members were not profilers they were able to decipher her glare pretty quickly and she was pleased when still smiling broadly they started drifting towards another area of the restaurant.

As the music finally faded towards background noise she was able to turn her focus back on Will, watching coolly for a moment as he clumsily tried to eat the hard shell taco crumbling in his hands. She felt a small pang of remorse for what she was about to do, but it wasn't enough to make her change her mind as she waited for him to finish swallowing, the last thing she needed to do was cause him to choke and delay this any further.

When she had his attention again she braced herself as she directly met his questioning gaze and calmly delivered the bomb she had been trying to drop for the last half hour. "I want a divorce." She said simply, watching the shock register on his face as he gaped like a stunned fish.

"What?" He finally choked out, having trouble comprehending the blow he had just been dealt.

"I'm sorry Will, but this isn't working. I'm tired of us fighting all the time and I want a divorce." She said again, maintaining her composure as she watched the news start to sink in.

"You invite me out to eat before my shift to ask for a divorce? What kind of stunt is that?" His eyes flashed angrily as the shock evolved to anger.

"I thought it would be better to do this in public." JJ responded diplomatically, having hoped that being in public would help avoid an unpleasant scene when she broke the news. "I don't hate you Will, I just don't want to be married any more. Neither of us are happy together. I want you to still be part of Henry's life and I'd really like to keep this amicable if we can. We got married right after you almost died. I was an emotional wreck after almost losing you and then the bank robbers got into our home and to Henry. It seemed right at the time after Rossi pulled it all together, but now I realize that it wasn't." She stopped, not wanting to overwhelm him with the many reasons she had come up with about why they should dissolve their marriage.

"So after all this time you suddenly decide that you don't want to be with me anymore?" His eyes snapped with cold fury. "Don't try to sell me on this whole "it was too soon" mess, who is he?" Will demanded as it was JJ's turn to gape.

"Wait, after all I said you immediately jump to the conclusion that there's another man?" JJ was incredulous at the leap he had just made after she had worked so hard to lay the groundwork.

"Yes, that's exactly it. Don't think I can't see through your attempt to make this something other than what it really is. You've started screwing someone on the team haven't you?" He all but hissed as he made the allegation.

"Will, I don't…" JJ paused, at a loss for words. "I can't believe.." She switched before finally stopping, letting the stunned silence speak for itself, though Will didn't let it linger much longer before he pursued the accusation.

"You don't have time to spend with anyone else so it has to be one of them. Cruz, Morgan, Reid, Hotch… Hell I'll even guess Rossi. You haven't been having sex with me for sure, so which one of them are you letting fuck you?" He watched her expression closely as he spat out the names, seeing if he could get any reaction. Disappointed when she showed none.

"Will I told you, this isn't about another man, this is about us." She rallied, trying to redirect his attention to the reasons she had listed. "We fight all the time, Henry is the only thing holding us together and he's going to be as miserable as we are if we keep this going. What's better for him, to have two parents who can at least be civil to each other or watch us fight day in and day out?" She tried to reason, hoping to bypass any further accusations and get back to the carefully crafted argument she had planned to present. _"Trust Will to make it all about ego and assume there was someone else,"_ she thought, glad that with her facial expression she was able to hide just how close to the mark he was.

"Yeah, maybe we fight all the time because you're always gone at the drop of a hat, leaving in the middle of the night to fly around with your precious team while you leave me to juggle Henry and my own job." Will's tone was bitter, the jealousy clearly showing.

"See, this is exactly what I mean. You clearly resent my job, which I am still not going to give up." She said, leaving no room for argument before he once again tried to convince her to leave the BAU and do something that would leave her with more regular hours.

"So you're choosing your job over our marriage?" He said darkly, jaw still clenched as he pushed his now forgotten plate of food towards the side of the table where a nervous waiter had appeared to take their dishes. The obvious tension in the air was enough to keep the waiter from being chatty or offering them any further items as the young man placed the ticket in the center of the table before he scurried away with the barely touched food.

"I'm choosing happiness Will. I enjoy my job and the work that I do. I'm sorry I can't be the traditional wife you've always wanted. I'm not happy in our marriage and I believe that once you have time to think this through you'll realize you're not happy either. We haven't been happy for a long time, which is why I think this will be the best move for both of us." JJ said bluntly as she started to rise, seeing him deflate even before she started to step away from the table.

"Ok, maybe some time apart to think would be a good idea. How about a separation while we give this some time to settle, see if we might try counseling or something?" Will conceded quick at her apparent determination to just get up and walk away. He glanced at the clock, seeing he had only a little time left before he had to report for duty and decided to placate her for the present until they had time to come back the problem. "I want to try to work with you on this JJ." He said, his eyes pleading as the anger temporarily abated as he tried to find a different angle to keep her from ending it once and for all.

JJ's sigh was longsuffering as she considered his offer. Her first instinct was to say no, in her heart she knew it was over and that no amount of therapy or reconciliation attempts would make a difference. Logically however she realized that if she wanted to continue to sound reasonable and wanted their divorce to be amicable then for Henry's sake then she needed to give Will the opportunity to come to the same conclusion she had.

"I've already got plans to take Henry and some of our things and move out." She announced, waiting to see the anger reappear at her announcement.

"Wait, look, I'll come home after work, pick up a few of my things. It will be easier for me to pack up a bag and crash on my partners couch for a few days then for you to try to move both you and Henry." He suggested, his tone still conciliatory as he was obviously trying to put his best foot forward now.

"Ok," she reluctantly conceded. "I'll be at work and will take Henry to the FBI daycare so you'll have the house to yourself in the morning."

"Great, we can work this out JJ." He said, his voice laced with optimism as he quickly kissed her on the cheek before heading out towards his squad car, seeming quite confident in his ability to win her back as opposed to a man who had essentially just been dumped.

"Damn it, how does he keep doing this?" JJ swore under her breath as she pulled out her phone and headed to her own vehicle. Like so many other times since their relationship had begun he had once again managed to undermine her resolve to end their relationship quickly and as painlessly as possible.

She had made progress this time, getting them to at least a separation, but still he persisted in trying to be the calm and reasonable one, putting her in the position of sounding like a shrew if she didn't go along.

With another deep sigh to steady herself JJ picked up her phone, now ready to confess her failure to the other party who had been privy to the plans she had made for tonight. "Yes, he has plans for us to try to work it out but at least agreed to a separation." _*pause*_. "Of course we both know that's not going to happen." _*pause*._ "I know, I love you to, Henry and I will be over in a little bit." She closed the conversation before tossing her phone back into the passenger seat, ignoring the pricks of her conscience that told her she was leading her husband on by letting him think there was a chance of reconciliation when she had already fallen in love with someone else.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This story is in response to a challenge in the smut challenge group with the following prompts: A mariachi band, the word monolith, and the quote "_I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you, and I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you." _

Chapter 2

JJ walked towards the bullpen, a smile plastered on her face as she hoped to keep from sending out any signals that anything had changed in her life. Not yet ready for the team to know about her separation from Will as the last thing she wanted right now was for well-meaning friends to stick their noses into the situation. She kept the smile in place as she heard Morgan unsuccessfully trying to stump Reid with yet another crossword challenge. She couldn't believe he hadn't given up yet as Reid continued to easily field any challenges thrown at him.

"Obelisk, column. And I'm not going to tell you how many letters." Morgan challenged, watching the easy smile cross Reid's face. The genius obviously enjoyed having his intellect tested, barely letting Morgan finish the clue before responding.

"I believe the rest of the definition would be a large statue, any object formed of a single block of stone." Reid's tone was smug as he continued. "Eight letters right?" He asked though didn't even give Morgan a chance to confirm before he continued. "Monolith: Of Greek and Latin origin, it can also mean something having a uniform, massive, redoubtable or inflexible quality or character."

"So we could say Hotch is a monolith?" Morgan interrupted, amused by his own humor as he attempted to upstage the young genius.

JJ felt her gut clench in defense at the reference to her lover but managed to keep the placid smile from slipping as she watched her two fellow agents playfully spar.

"Technically the word monolith refers to an inanimate object, it would be more accurate to say someone has monolithic qualities or make comparative statements based on a shared characteristic." Reid finished with a triumphant grin.

Shifting her attention for a moment JJ let her eyes stray to Hotch's office. She could see him standing at the window overlooking the bullpen, cellphone in hand. Even though he was apparently talking with someone his eyes bored into hers, silently communicating his feelings even as he began speaking and turned to keep his concentration.

JJ felt an involuntarily shiver as she looked back at the sheet of paper she had been holding, pretending to focus on the words swimming on the page. She had just managed to get the words into focus when she and everyone else in the bullpen were distracted by not one but two enormous bouquets of deep red roses approaching. The deliveryman looked happy to unload his burden after a receptionist pointed the way to JJ's desk. JJ could only watch in horror as her workspace was covered by the bouquets before with a polite nod and smile the man was on his way back out the door.

"Will must have really messed up this time." Rossi was the first to speak as he had entered the bullpen just in time to see the roses placed on JJ's desk.

"Actually we're separated she announced, trying to sound casual as she ignored the gasps of her coworkers. Penelope had appeared just in time to hear the announcement and JJ prepared herself for the litany of questions about to come. Quieting them all with a wave of the hand she waited until they were stopped, all looking at her with various expressions of expectations, curiosity and concern in anticipation of her announcement.

"Last night Will and I talked about a divorce, so we're separated for now to see if we're going to things out. We're going to be seeing a counselor and keep things as normal as possible for Henry but as of right now I don't have a lot more to share, I would really prefer to keep this private for now but I do know you're all here for me if I need you." She finished watching the surprised looks changing into those analytical profiling looks she knew so well. It was unnerving to have them directed at her for a change.

"By these roses it seems evident who was asking for the divorce." Rossi's tone was deceptively mild as he moved towards the card sticking out of the bouquet, almost reaching it before JJ snatched it first. Her friends gathering around as she opened it, waiting expectantly with hopes she would read it to them though she first read Will's distinctive scrawl silently, even as Garcia read aloud over her shoulder. _ "__I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you, and I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you. Please give me a chance to make this right. I Love You, Will"_

JJ bristled at the sighs shared between Garcia and Blake at what she supposed was considered a touching plea. She put the card carefully back on her desk trying not to let her body language betray her emotions and how unaffected by the display she was, but even as she did so knew she probably wasn't fooling anyone and she could see them closing in to ask more questions.

She was startled yet relieved when she heard the brisk, "JJ, my office." Hotch's tone was businesslike, projecting for everyone the intent to address the disruption to their normal daily routine. "Everyone else, back to work." He commanded, keeping his back stiff and his pace quick he began to walk back towards his office, with JJ trailing behind like a scolded child. Both purposefully giving every indication of an administrative issue as opposed to a rescue mission.

"Nice flowers," he said, tone dry as JJ took her seat on the opposite side of the desk, both well aware of the open blinds and being mindful to keep their body language neutral.

"I suppose," she said stiffly, "thanks for the rescue, but I'll have to hear it sooner or later." She sighed, trying to relax, feeling as if their affair was now on display for all to see as she could imagine the team scrambling to solve the puzzle of what was going on in her life now.

"They don't know anything, we've been careful." Hotch's smooth voice assured her.

"I know, it's just damn, how did I end up in this mess?" She felt tears start to sting at the corners of her eyes as she stared unseeingly at the nameplate on his desk. "One minute I'm trying to make a marriage work, raise my son. The next I'm having an affair with my boss and divorce my husband, all underneath the eyes of observant coworkers."

"I believe it started that night in Cincinatti, when we ran into each other at the motel ice machine and ended up in bed together." Hotch remained calm, seeing the quirk of her lips that showed his dry humor had reached its mark.

"It started long before that, but thank goodness Blake wasn't along and I had the room to myself that night," JJ murmured, raising her dark blue eyes to meet his amused gaze. "I just didn't think it would turn into such a mess." She said, now resigned.

"I can't blame him for not wanting to lose you." Hotch felt some empathy for the younger man as he continued. "What man would want to let you go?"

JJ felt her cheeks flush at the compliment, even though it had been a year since that fateful night in Cincinatti. A year of growing closer, finally admitting the mutual attraction they had felt since that first fateful meeting when she had first walked into his office for an interview. Even though they had been slowly working to this point in their relationship over the past year, he could still make her cheeks go red. She had learned that there was whole different side to their normally controlled boss. She would have never guessed he could be such a flirt. The times she had allowed herself to imagine what he might be like in the bedroom had been tame in comparison. She forced herself to focus back on his eyes, trying to not let her mind travel back to the sensations of his touch on her body.

"You're thinking about sex again aren't you?" It was more of a statement than a question judging by the amusement and darkening shade in his eyes as he interrupted her train of thought and saw her answering blush.

Any further conversation was halted by the rap on the door that immediately broke the spell as Cruz stepped in, apparently having been made aware of the situation and coming to follow up on JJ's wellbeing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

JJ tried to keep the feelings of guilt at bay over the next few weeks as she went through the motions with Will to let him attempt to salvage their marriage. She went to the therapy sessions he had scheduled, hoping the marriage counselor couldn't see just how disinterested in the process she was.

She was ready to move on, tired of the guilt of having an affair with a man she had fallen in love with, while trying to break it off with her husband, blaming herself for going through with the surprise wedding while ignoring the small voice telling her it was a mistake even as she said "I do".

JJ took the opportunity in therapy to address some of the resentment she had felt over the years in terms of his pushy and clingy behavior, how it had at first been endearing and then got smothering. She also tactfully tried to address her concerns over his drinking, figuring that the more she got out in the open the more he might cooperate in finally breaking off their relationship.

Will got his concerns in also and she reluctantly acknowledged that she should have been stronger in sticking to her boundaries in the beginning instead of going along with him so easily. She also gave some credence to his complaints about her unpredictable and demanding work schedule.

As they finally worked on getting their issues out in the open, the therapist praised them for the progress they were making in terms of communication, though also agreed she saw little progress from their reports in terms of rekindling any sort of romance. JJ knew she was the one driving the final nails into the coffin of her marriage after she JJ openly admitted that the only reason she had stayed with Will and tried to make things work this long was for the sake of Henry.

What JJ wasn't open enough to say was that she would be damned if she was going to pass up a relationship with the man she had wanted before Will had even entered the picture. She knew that others would see her actions as despicable if they knew, but love was blind she thought. It had become easier and easier to justify her behaviors after a one-night stand had led to something deeper and more satisfying than she had ever experienced with the man she was married to.

She began feeling hope as the sessions continued, Will finally seemed to be coming to terms with the fact that their relationship had never been as good as he had tried to convince himself. He even expressed his insecurity related to the fact that she worked in a field dominated by men and the closeness he had observed between her and the other team members. JJ was pleased with herself for being able to again convince him and the therapist that the relationships were only platonic, knowing that the truth would turn the tide clearly into Will's favor. It was hard to think of herself as an adulteress, though deep down she knew that's what she was.

She was surprised, but pleasantly so, when Will abruptly announced that he was going to quit crashing on his buddies couch and found his own small apartment on the other side of town, closer to the precinct. He also voiced to the therapist that he felt it was time for their joint sessions to end as he was ready to give JJ the divorce she wanted.

When the therapist ended their sessions with the metaphor that just because they were both good tennis players it didn't mean they should both play on the same court there was no resistance as Will admitted that he had started feeling happier and less stressed as he had quit putting in so much effort to make a marriage that was clearly doomed work and instead channeled his energies in trying to be a good father and make the divorce process easier for their son as both parents had noticed their son had seemed to take the split in stride and even seemed happier with the decrease in fighting between them.

The ink was barely dry on the divorce papers when JJ showed up at Hotch's door with Henry in tow. Jack and Henry had gotten so used to playing together they simply grabbed hands and ran down the hall for Jacks room, barely pausing for greetings as they left the adults to talk.

"I don't understand why Will changed so quickly. One minute he was fighting for me, then suddenly it's all over." JJ shared as she announced the filing of the divorce papers that would make her officially a free woman.

"Maybe he finally realized it was a lost cause." Hotch mused. "Unfortunately as much as I would love to make our relationship public knowledge, we're going to have to wait a month at least to even attempt to avoid it looking scandalous."

"People will probably think you're just a rebound relationship. But I don't care what they think now." JJ said teasingly as she enjoyed the luxury stepping into his embrace for the first time as a free woman.

_AN: Thanks to everyone for the reviews, much appreciated. _


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Smut chapter ahead. For anyone who is too young or doesn't care for reading smut, you can probably skip this chapter without missing much of the plot. I thought this would be the end of the story but at least one more chapter coming which will be plot related. Thanks to everyone who has taken time to review/favorite, etc._

Chapter 4

"I've been waiting for this all day," Hotch murmured as he pulled JJ close to him. "No more hiding now." He exclaimed as he pulled her into a greedy kiss. There was the usual quick, familiar pleasure as her mouth opened to his, soon followed by the slow, grinding ache of wanting more contact as her fingers curled around his biceps.

When the kiss deepened, JJ let her senses take in as much as they could, from the smell of his soap to the feel of his deceptively soft hair that seemed to beckon her fingers to comb through it. As they kissed his mouth became more demanding and she heard his quiet groan of pleasure through the fog threatening to envelop her mind. Keeping just enough of her senses to remember that there were children in the house she responded, mating her tongue with his, nipping at his lip to add the dark excitement of pain to the pleasure.

"JJ, god I've been waiting for this, to have you and not think about you having to go back to Will." He explained desperately before he let his mouth roam from her lips, over her face and down along her throat, feeling her pulse beating beneath his lips as he savored the soft skin.

She enjoyed the sensations for a few moments before she pulled his chin back up so their lips could meet again. His lips crushing back down on hers, absorbing the flavor of them, the warmth, before shaken he drew back just enough to rest his brow against hers even as they maintained a loose embrace. "It's going to be an hour before Jessica comes to get the boys for their trip to the park and sleepover," he said, his tone ragged as he willed his libido to calm back down.

Unfortunately JJ had no plans to cooperate as she restlessly pressed back against him. While she remained vigilant for the sound of any footsteps down the hall where she knew the boys were happily playing she indulged herself, hearing Hotch groan with approval as she slowly ground her body against him, feeling his response to her teasing as a familiar hardness pressed against her midsection. When she jumped from his arms he didn't have to ask why as he turned her around so that she stood in front of him as the sound of the footsteps warned them the boys were coming back down the hallway.

He could barely focus on anything but the rush of blood in his ears as he heard JJ calmly answering some question they had about turning on the TV in Jacks room and playing with his new video game system until Jessica arrived. "Henry can spend hours on a video game, I bet Jack can too," JJ predicted before she began to turn back into his arms, surprised when he held her where she was, slowly grinding the bulge in his jeans against the silk of her skirt.

"You'd think we were teenagers," JJ said breathlessly as she felt the warmth gathering low in her belly as she enjoyed the movement of their bodies together even separated by clothes.

"I guess we should wait," Hotch said almost mournfully in her ear, lessening the pressure to her back, even as he palmed one of her breasts through the blouse she was wearing.

"We should, but damn, I don't want to wait that long," she cursed even as she pushed back against him, reveling in the feel of his response to her.

"Just a little longer, then after they're gone we'll have all night to make love without feeling guilty." Hotch tried to reassure her as he again started trying to will himself to calm down.

"Ok, then in an hour we'll start a marathon love making session. But how about now we settle for a quickie right now?" JJ suggested daringly, reaching behind her to entice him to continue.

With a growl that said he needed no further convincing Hotch tugged her into the small laundry room adjacent to the hallway and shut the door behind them. He easily lifted her to sit on top of the washer as he moved between her thighs before reclaiming her lips with his own.

"Honey you're tall, but not quite tall enough for this." JJ teased lightly as she slid back off the washer, turning around to face it and hold on as she gave him a clear invitation to continue.

"Maybe I was going to do something else," he frowned a little but didn't let it stop him as he again moved to press against her backside, even as his hands began a slow journey up her thighs to her hips, sliding her skirt up to expose her rear, seeing the scrap of blue silk that remained.

"We're in a time crunch remember," she said in a wanton tone as she pressed back against him, wriggling as she urged him to speed up before the children tired of their video game. "I'm ready, save the foreplay for later" she urged as she bucked against his exploring fingers before they came away wet, confirming for him that she was indeed ready.

Not needing to be told again he quickly unzipped his dress slacks, not bothering with any further disrobing as he prepared to take her hard and fast.

So often they were content to take each other slowly, savoring each touch, each taste on the long, lazy journey toward fulfillment. But now they wanted only the fast, molten ride, the mindlessness of hurried, urgent sex.

As he pulled the center of her underwear to the side, Hotch could admit that instead of their slow lovemaking that at this moment he simply wanted to possess her, to brand her, to feel her body rock fitfully under his. Holding on so tightly he knew he was leaving handprints he shifted, gripping her hips and lifting her up to the right angle he pressed his lips against her neck as he pushed forward. He let out a quiet moan of triumph as he felt himself sheathed within silky heat. She didn't stay still long as with her head thrown back, she began to push back against him, her long, slim body glistening with sweat, she took him deeper, urging him onward with her soft cries. Ruthlessly, relentlessly he surged forward as she urged him to claim her while her heart galloped forward as she could already feel the spring of her release tightening.

JJ bit her lip to hold back a cry as the orgasm struck her body like a fist. The air was clogged and burning in her lungs. She sobbed to release it, sobbed to gulp it back in as she felt his body lunge harder against her before he vaulted over that final edge with her, spilling deep within her before he collapsed breathlessly against her back, bracing his arms on the washer beside hers to keep from resting his full weight on her.

As they rested together for a few moments she could feel the sweat seeping through his dress shirt and onto her thin cotton blouse before he pulled back and disengaged himself from her. The ringing of the doorbell snapped them both to attention as Hotch quickly tucked his softening member back in his pants while she stood up and let her skirt drop back down.

"How do I look?" JJ said attempting to sound prim even though she knew from her mussed hair and damp clothes that any observant person could probably tell what had just happened.

"Debauched," Hotch said with a grin as he went back to straightening his tie. "I'll get the door, maybe Jessica is early and we can pick this back up sooner than we thought." He moved towards the laundry room door, leaving JJ to clean herself up further as the smell of sex lingered in the air. Expecting Jessica he was thoroughly unprepared for who stood on the other side of the door when he opened it to see Will standing there with a triumphant smile on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note:**

_So it's been a year and a half since my last update. I apologize for the delay, life events hit me like an earthquake and I am just now crawling out of the rubble. For anyone still interested in reading my work I'm anticipating finishing up all my incomplete stories here in the near future. Keep in mind that these will be set in the timeline they started, I haven't been able to watch enough to catch up on current team dynamics, deaths, births, cast changes since Blake, etc._

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

"Will?" Hotch greeted the unexpected visitor, trying to sound nonchalant but hoping he said it loud enough for JJ to hear from the adjacent room.

"Hotch." Will said, the hostile tone in his voice not boding well for his visit.

"Something I can help you with?" Hotch asked quickly, not wanting to give the other man any reason to linger. He stood in the doorway, having not stepped back to allow entrance into his home.

"Yeah, I want to know how long you've been fucking my wife." Will sneered, speaking loudly as he pushed past Hotch into the living room.

"There are kids here Will," Hotch hissed, hoping that they had not heard his words from the back room.

"Oh, excuse me, Will said, lowering his voice and stepping closer into Hotch's face before he repeated his question in an angry whisper, the lingering smell of alcohol on his breath was evident.

"Will, what are you doing here?" JJ walked into the room, no longer looking like the wanton woman who had been trembling against a washing machine just a few moments before. Hotch was glad to see only surprise on her face, no trace of remorse that would suggest she felt any guilt over their actions.

"I saw your car in the driveway," He answered JJ, not backing down in response to the ice in her blue eyes. "You had me fooled, I'll admit it. You and that therapist had me convinced that it was because we had grown apart. Then it hit me last night, that something was still not quite right. So I started driving, I'll admit I checked Morgan's house first, then Reid's. I shouldn't be surprised that I found you here." The anger was evident in his eyes as his gaze shifted between the two agents.

"I was dropping Henry off to play with Jack," JJ said firmly, sharing a partial truth in hopes of stopping what was bound to be an ugly scene.

"You think I don't know what you smell like after sex JJ, you reek of it, of him." Will countered as Hotch watched the domestic dispute escalating in his living room and deciding it was time to intervene.

"Listen Will, this is not the time or place for this discussion." Hotch stepped in, ready to put an end to the unfolding scene, but JJ had other plans.

"We aren't married any more Will, it's none of your business who I am or am not sleeping with," JJ countered, her voice rising with her anger at his unexpected intrusion.

"JJ, stop," Hotch interrupted her, his tone sharp as he tried to stop her from continuing the argument. He knew she would have something to say to him later but assumed it would be something they could easily deal with after Will had left. All the Unit Chief knew was that now was not the time for a fight with two little boys in the house. Later he would realize that he should have handled it differently but in the moment he went into his default conflict resolution mode.

"Will, you shouldn't be here. I need you to leave. There are two kids down the hall and your son does not need to hear you making these accusations against his mother." Hotch was firm but clear with his instruction, noting the defensiveness on Will's face.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but my son has been witnessing his mother cheating for god knows how long, so don't try to make me the bad guy here." Will raised his voice, his fury not abated by Hotch's attempt at reason.

"You leave Henry out of this, just because your ego can't handle the fact that I picked someone else over you." JJ retorted angrily, frustrated that just when she thought it was all over here he was again making the same old accusations.

"JJ, you are not helping." Hotch swiftly turned to face her and saw a flash of anger cross his lovers face. He wondered why she couldn't see that she was only making it worse by antagonizing her ex-husband. He knew he had made things worse as he took in Will's smug look, seeing that he enjoyed watching their conflict.

There was a moment of silence as the three stood in an apparent standoff of nothing but quiet glares. It was Will who opened his mouth to speak again just as the doorbell rang. Hotch practically charged down the hallway towards the door to admit Jessica into the house. As he had hoped she was a welcome neutralizing agent as JJ and Will both immediately at least tried to put on a calm facade for Jack's aunt. Despite their attempts it was obvious Jessica could pick up on the tension in the room as she gave a nervous smile while inquiring if the boys were ready to go.

Any hopes that the boys had been oblivious to the argument were shattered as they practically ran from the room, jackets already on and carrying their favorite pillows as they greeted Jessica and started chattering about the trip to the park before hastily saying goodbyes.

"I can't believe it, my son barely gave me a hug before leaving." Will looked genuinely distraught as they watched Jessica's minivan disappear just a few minutes later.

"Of course he didn't want to stick around, you know he doesn't handle it well when we fight." JJ quickly responded, the implication in her voice being one of blame despite her use of the word "we".

"Hell," was all Will could muster before turning to look at the couple as he began to walk down the porch steps, "you two deserve each other," he spat on the ground as he started to stomp towards his car. "This isn't over yet." He called out as he rolled down his window before punching the gas and leaving.

Hotch breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the other man driving angrily away, as the tail lights disappeared, his mind already switching back to their earlier activities and the long night alone they had in front of them. But to his surprise when he put his hands on JJ's shoulders she stiffened then wheeled on him, the look in her eyes promising anything but a romantic evening ahead.


End file.
